Nikolaus von Brandt
Nikolaus Julian Kiefer von Brandt, more commonly known as Niko, is a young wizard currently in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Born in Germany and named Nikolaus Wolff at the time of his birth, Niko was adopted at the age of four by Caspar von Brandt and Jamie von Brandt (né Summers), and in the process gained an older sister, Philippa von Brandt. Niko started his first year at Hogwarts in 2096 and was sorted into Slytherin house. When not at school, he lives in Cumbria with his family. Personality and Key Characteristics Niko is highly competitive and active, which works out well for him as he takes part in various sports and considers himself to be a serious athlete, holding numerous medals and trophies. The sports Niko actively competes in are youth mixed martial arts, combat, and swimming, the latter of which he is not quite as interested in but still pushes himself to win because he never wants to lose. He is a naturally good swimmer. The sports that Niko takes part in (non-competitively) are horse-riding (only in the summer now that he's at Hogwarts), karate (he is currently a purple belt), and skateboarding (which he dreams of competing in but likely will not, due to his other commitments). Before going to Hogwarts, Niko was also on youth cricket and lacrosse teams, but, though he enjoyed both sports, had to give them up in order to attend boarding school, as he could not commit to team sports and the associated training sessions throughout the term. Now that he is at Hogwarts, Niko is granted occasional weekends out of school to compete, and undergoes intensive karate training throughout the holidays to make up for missing out during the school term. He practices all of his sports throughout the year, while also keeping up with his studies. This makes having a social life slightly more complicated, but he claims to manage just fine. As well as being competitive, Niko is extremely ambitious, with high hopes for himself in the worlds of sport and academia. He fully intends to prove that he is better than everyone else, and works hard to try and meet those ambitions. He also has high levels of determination and dedication which help him to achieve his goals and do well in his endeavours. Though he is not necessarily lacking tact, Niko can be rather blunt in his approaches to socialising, usually due to the fact that he doesn't see the point in wasting time talking about unnecessary things when he could get straight to the point. He is a very confident boy, approaching others and introducing himself with no worries about social interaction, and though he doesn't have a great many friends, that is more to do with the time he devotes to his sports and schoolwork than an inability to befriend others. Despite his bluntness and need to keep things moving forward and not dither around in the present moment, Niko is perceptive and notices changes in things or people. This is especially true with his family, particularly his sister, Philippa. Niko is strong-willed and stubborn, and in his eyes it's generally his way or the highway. He does whatever he can to get whatever he wants, whatever the cost, rarely giving up. His stubbornness is what makes him hate to lose, either in competitions or in life. But, though Niko is mostly out for himself, he is fiercely loyal to a select few. For instance, his sister; Niko plays the part of annoying little brother well, but though the pair squabble like any brother and sister might, Niko is very protective and defensive over Philippa, and often brags about her talents and abilities to others (though making sure to be clear that he is still the superior sibling). While Niko exceeds in his sports and schooling, he has so far had less success socially. He becomes jealous very easily, and his thought processes can be that of a spoilt brat (which is exactly what he is). Caring more about his sports and grades than his social life has led to quite a hefty friend deficit, though he still still has a small handful of friends and acquaintances. Interests and Abilities Art: '''While not even close to being an artist himself, thanks to a complete lack of artistic talent, Niko's major non-sport-related interest is art appreciation. When he was growing up, his father encouraged intellectual pursuits as well as physical activity, and art appreciation was what stuck. '''Combat Sports: Thanks to his interest in karate, Niko also developed an interest in Mixed Martial Arts when he was about ten, and he went on to compete in muggle Junior Mixed Martial Arts competitions. When he was thirteen he also started competing in wizarding Combat tournaments, specialising in the martial arts aspect. His high level of fitness and longstanding history in studying and practicing martial arts meant that it wasn't long before he started to prove himself at these competitions. Karate: Niko took up karate when he was four, along with his sister. He studies the 10 kyū shotokan style, and his particular school does not submit the younger students for grading until it is clear they have mastered the appropriate techniques, to prevent them progressing through the belts before they demonstrate their maturity as well as their ability. As of July 2099, Niko wears a junior black belt. He must go through another rigorous grading session when he turns sixteen in order to earn his 1st dan senior black belt. Due to the interruption of training while he is away at Hogwarts, Niko trains on his own throughout the school year, and attends intensive training sessions (and gradings, when he is ready for them) over the school holidays. Languages: Niko is multilingial. His first language was German, and he is also fluent in English, which is now his primary language. He is highly proficient in Italian, French, and Latin, and also has some knowledge of Norwegian. The latter is due to his formative years in the German children's home, where they taught English and Norwegian to every resident. Due to the fact that he is very out of practice, Niko's Norwegian is extremely rusty. 'Miscellaneous Sports: '''Niko is interested in sports above all else, though wizarding sports don't really do it for him. In addition to his main sporting activities, he also enjoys horse-riding during the school holidays. Prior to Hogwarts he played lacrosse and cricket, but had to give up when he left for school as he could no longer attend team training sessions. Niko is also an avid skateboarder. '''Swimming: '''Niko has a natural talent for swimming, largely helped by his build. He took up swimming when he was eight, and started competing in junior competitions when he was nine. Niko is yet to place lower than second in any of his swimming competitions. History and Early Life Pre-Life and Early Life Claudia Wolff was a pureblood German witch, and Markus Nilsson a pureblood Swedish wizard. They met when they were students at Durmstrang; Claudia was in Ucilena and Markus was in Wolverine. They started a relationship together and, when they were still quite young, Claudia realised she was pregnant. The pregnancy was kept a secret with only immediate family members knowing anything about it, and Claudia agreed to give up the baby. After Claudia gave birth - a private midwife and healer having brought in to preside over the home birth - Claudia's older brother, Carl, took them both to Winterhaus Wohngruppe, a wizarding children’s home just outside of Hamburg, far from their own home in Heidelberg. She left the baby outside the front door, wrapped up and cloaked in warming charms, and, while saying goodbye, secretly tucked a letter inside his blankets explaining the situation and that she had named the child Nikolaus Wolff. Niko spent his formative years in Winterhaus, which was originally founded with the specific aim of housing young and predominantly German witches and wizards in care who were also Durmstrang students, or who would be upon turning eleven. Winterhaus has a policy in which they only care for infants and very young children under exceptional circumstances, and Niko's situation was classed as such. For the entire time that he was a resident, he was the youngest child living there. It was at Winterhaus that he started showing early signs of magic, namely summoning things he wanted that were out of his reach. Niko was eventually adopted in 2089, when he was four years old, by Caspar and Jamie von Brandt. He joined Caspar, Jamie and his new older sister Philippa in their UK home in Ambleside, Cumbria, and his name was legally changed from Nikolaus Wolff to Nikolaus Julian Kiefer von Brandt. From then on Niko was doted on by his new extended family, and, compared to his old life, he was positively spoilt. At his request, Niko and Pippa started doing horse-riding and karate, and Niko very soon found his calling among all the different sports he now had the option of trying. Niko was also enrolled at St. Woboldo's, and started there when he was five. Pre-Hogwarts When Philippa went away to Hogwarts, Niko threw himself into his sports at every available opportunity, when he wasn’t at school or otherwise doing extra-curricular learning at home. He took up swimming, mixed martial arts, lacrosse, and cricket, on top of the horse-riding and karate he was already doing. Niko has always wanted to master and perfect everything he tries, and will stop at nothing until he manages it; he received a skateboard for his tenth birthday, and despite many cuts, scrapes, and broken bones, would not rest for long until he had started to master it. For a while it was undecided whether Niko would attend Hogwarts or Durmstrang; there were concerns for the children’s safety at Hogwarts, but Philippa had attended Durmstrang for a while and been miserable at the time, so Jamie and Caspar were not incredibly tempted to send the children there. Ultimately, it was decided that Niko was to join Pippa at Hogwarts to start his first year in 2096. Niko was pleased, as it meant he had a better chance of leaving the school on weekends to attend his competitions, though he knew he had to give up his team sports - cricket and lacrosse - as he would be unable to commit to regular group training. Hogwarts First Year (2096 - 2097) Niko was brimming with enthusiasm when it was time to head off to Hogwarts for his first year. Once at school he was sorted into Slytherin house, like his sister and Caspar, though the Hat briefly considered Ravenclaw, like Jamie. As for the rest of the year, Niko was expecting all kinds of fun and excitement and so was intensely disappointed when what he got was the new regime. Headmaster Scrimgeour had come to Hogwarts, dethroning Headmistress Hawthorne in the process, and implementing all kinds of new rules and consequences. One of the new rules was the introduction of Special Obligatory Running Exercises, which involved running around the Quidditch pitch every morning. Niko, being a self-defined athlete, didn't mind the running so much as the part where they were woken at dawn by a blaring alarm. He was also appalled to learn that he could not leave the school in order to take part in his various sporting competitions. By the end of the year, the regime was over, and though Niko was disappointed that his first year had been marked by so many rules and regulations, nobody had died and all that had really happened was that a lot of people had got fired, and several competitions had been missed. Niko, however, resolved to take part in them for certain the next year, even if it meant demanding to leave Hogwarts, which he hoped he wouldn't have to do. Over the course of the year, Niko had made plenty of friends, most of them in Slytherin, like Alis Hanover. Other friends included Jackson Bole and Mark Gunter, both of Ravenclaw. Second Year (2097 - 2098) Niko spent most of his time in his second year training for his sporting competitions and keeping up with his studies. As such, he did not have much time for a social life, and did not consider it much of a priority. After a year of not competing, Niko resumed his competitions and won golds and silvers in swimming, and bronze in youth mixed martial arts. He also made the decision to sign up for the much bigger combat tournaments for the wizarding community, usually held in the summer. Also there were pink furry mutants everywhere and a professor got eaten, but Niko von Brandt was far too concerned with his own activities to give any of it much thought. Third Year (2098 - 2099) Over the summer, Niko's sister Philippa held a summer party at the von Brandt home for her friends. Niko, in his infinite wisdom, invited Alis along, who in turn invited more kids their age, and so the party was crashed by the underclassmen, much to Philippa's chagrin. Niko also took part in his first large combat tournament (martial arts specialty), and though he only placed fourth in his division he was well and truly hooked. Back at Hogwarts, things continued as normal, or about as normal as things could ever be at the school. For the first half of the year, Niko continued his competitions and was minimally affected by the stressed out forest creatures or the gradually more inclement weather, other than the fact that he couldn't send or receive any letters. Niko was, however, slightly more affected by a conversation he overheard involving Alis and Jackson, and the latter's feelings for the former, and the suggestion of a date. Supremely jealous, though not entirely confident about the whys and wherefores, Niko devolved into stroppy teenager mode and privately labelled Jackson Bole 'public enemy number one', though he was incredibly subtle about it. Later in the term, the weather situation was impossible to ignore; the mist that had surrounded the castle now ''surrounded the caste, so that it was impossible to get outside, and those who did somehow make it out there (two students in particular, including one boy from Niko's year) went missing and weren't seen again. What horrified Niko the most, however, was that once again he was forced to miss some of his term-time competitions. Not only that, but when the mist took over the lower levels of the castle, the Slytherins were forced to bunk up with the Gryffindors and be subjected to their childish games of 'the floor is lava'. Things only got worse when everyone in the castle had to evacuate through a secret passageway and go instead to stay in Hogsmeade and finish the term there. This was the final straw for Niko, as now he didn't even have the Room of Requirement from which he always requested a room devoted to combat or a swimming pool to continue his swim training. At his first opportunity, Niko demanded that his parents pull him from school for the remainder of the term. Philippa stayed until End of Term Feast and subsequent train journey back to Kings Cross, but Niko was much happier back in the family home. Fourth Year (2099 - 2100) The summer before fourth year was what Niko had decided would be his Big Turning Point. He was going to become cool. He was going to become noticeable. He was going to get a haircut. And that was exactly what he did. Of course, he didn't really know exactly what else he could actually do to become cool or noticeable, so beyond the haircut he mostly just went back to focusing on his sports. He finally earned his junior black belt in karate, the highest rank he could reach until the 1st dan senior black belt became possible when he turned 16. Not long after the start of summer, Niko was informed by his parents (who actually read the newspapers, unlike him) that the Hogwarts staff and students would be hosted at Beauxbatons that coming school year, due to the fact that the mist situation at Hogwarts had still not been resolved. Niko was at first unbothered by this news, mostly because, as a highly proficient French speaker, he felt perfectly well-equipped for living in France for nine months of the year. It was only later that he started to worry about whether Beauxbatons had a swimming pool or combat training facilities, or something similar to Hogwarts' Room of Requirement. Niko was also concerned over whether or not he would still be able to leave school in order to take part in his competitions, and decided that, if the answer was no, he would demand to be homeschooled instead. Achievements, Accolades, and Qualifications * Gold medal (Junior WizSwim regional (North West) swimming meet, age range 9-10, February 2094) 9 * Silver medal (Junior (muggle) national summer swimming meet, age range 9-10, June 2094) 9 * Gold medal (Junior (muggle) national winter swimming meet, age range 9-10, November 2094) 9 * Gold medal (Junior WizSwim regional (North West) swimming meet, age range 9-10, February 2095) 10 * First place trophy (Junior (muggle) British summer championship swimming meet age range 9-10, July 2095) 10 * Second place trophy (Junior WizSwim British summer championship swimming meet age range 9-10, August 2095) 10 * Silver medal (Junior (muggle) national winter swimming meet, age range 10, November 2095) 10 * Gold medal (Junior WizSwim regional (North West) swimming meet, age range 11-12, February 2096) 11 * Gold medal (Junior (muggle) national summer swimming meet, age range 11-12, June 2096) 11 * Second place trophy (Junior (muggle) British summer championship swimming meet age range 11-12, July 2096) 11 * First place trophy (Junior WizSwim British summer championship swimming meet age range 11-12, August 2096) 11 * Second place trophy (Junior (muggle) British summer championship swimming meet age range 11-12, July 2097) 12 * Second place trophy (Junior WizSwim British summer championship swimming meet age range 11-12, August 2097) 12 * Bronze medal (Regional (North West) Junior Mixed Martial Arts competition, age range 11-12, August 2097) 12 * Gold medal (Junior WizSwim national winter swimming meet, age range 11-12, November 2097) 12 * Second place trophy (Regional (North West) Junior Mixed Martial Arts competition, age range 11-12, December 2097) 12 * Gold medal (Junior WizSwim regional (North West) swimming meet, age range 13-14, February 2098) 13 * Silver medal (Junior (muggle) national summer swimming meet, age range 13-14, June 2098) 13 * First place trophy (Junior (muggle) British summer championships swimming meet, age range 13-14, July 2098) 13 * Fourth place (International Wizarding Youth Combat Tournament, age range Under-14s, July 2098) 13 * First place trophy (Junior WizSwim British summer championship swimming meet age range 13-14, August 2098) 13 * Gold medal (Junior (muggle) national winter swimming meet, age range 13-14, November 2098) 13 * Third place trophy (Regional (North West) Junior Mixed Martial Arts competition, age ranger 13-14, December 2098) 13 * Second place trophy (International Wizarding Youth Combat Tournament, age range Under-14s, July 2099) 14 * Second place trophy (Junior (muggle) British summer championships swimming meet, age range 13-14, July 2099) 14 * First place trophy (Junior WizSwim British summer championship swimming meet age range 13-14, August 2099) 14 Karate (shotokan) * Orange belt - September 2089 (age 4) * Red belt - March 2090 (age 5) * Yellow belt - September 2090 (age 5) * Green belt - June 2091 (age 6) * Purple belt - June 2092 (age 7) * Purple belt (white stripe) - June 2093 (age 8) * Brown belt - September 2094 (age 9) * Brown belt (white stripe) - December 2095 (age 10) * Brown belt (two white stripes) - July 2097 (age 12) * Junior black belt - July 2099 (age 14) Category:Characters Category:Slytherin Category:Students Category:Class of 2103 Category:Pureblood Category:Hogwarts Category:Primary School Alumni